Occupation tapestries created to mark the 50th anniversary of Jersey’s liberation have been reimagined by islanders three decades later – and will go on display this week.
The Maritime Museum will become home to the ‘Colour our Collection – Occupation Tapestry’ exhibition, with a special opening set to take place on Thursday 20 November at 5pm.
The exhibition brings together 12 large acrylic paintings created by islanders over the last eight months.
Each artwork mirrors one of the original Occupation Tapestry panels – which were created in 1995 to mark 50 years since the end of the occupation – and will be displayed directly in front of its stitched counterpart at the Maritime Museum.
The project forms part of Jersey Heritage’s programme commemorating the 80th anniversary of Jersey’s liberation and the 30th anniversary of the tapestry itself.
Unlike the charity’s usual ‘Colour our Collection’ sessions – where groups explore a single piece of artwork from Jersey Heritage’s collection – this year’s effort saw islanders collectively recreate an entire island icon.
Over the past eight months, 55 drop-in workshops have taken place in parish halls as well as other community group sessions.
Contributors included the Youth Service for the St Helier painting, inmates at La Moye Prison for St Brelade, and residents of Maison Belleville for St Saviour.
Jersey Heritage outreach curator Melissa Rodrigues, who led the project, said more than 100 people contributed, clocking over 400 hours of painting, and using around 10 litres of acrylic paint to complete the 12 canvases.
“This exhibition is a celebration of a wonderful community project that has been a joy from start to finish,” she said.
“With islanders’ help, we have 12 beautiful and colourful paintings to mark two special anniversaries in the island’s history.”
The exhibition also offers a rare chance to hear stories from original tapestry stitchers who returned to help paint the panels they worked on 30 years ago.
Among them was Anne-Marie Willing, who helped to sew the St Peter panel in 1995 and joined the parish workshops for this year’s project.
She was said to have arrived armed with photo albums and memorabilia from the original project that is said to have “captured” her contribution from all those years ago.
Ms Willing said: “Those photos have been in my home for 30 years – I got them out when I went to the painting sessions.
“It was nice to be able to reminisce and meet up with some of the other tapestry workers.
“I’m not a painter, nor an expert in needlework, but I enjoyed being part of both projects and am delighted my photo albums and memorabilia are now likely to be cared for at Jersey Archive to help to share the story of the people behind the Occupation Tapestry.”
The pop-up exhibition will be open daily from 10am to 4pm until 11 December.
Usual museum entry fees apply to visit the exhibition, but it is free to attend for Jersey Heritage Members and islanders under the age of six.